Anyone listening to the rhetoric of European anti-immigration parties cannot escape the impression that they aim to transform the continent into a lily-white bastion. They call for ‘tougher’ and ‘stricter’ actions against the ‘influx’ of African ‘fortune seekers.’ Yet, behind this alarming facade of xenophobia lie campaigns by politicians from the very same parties who seek staff from Africa—whether for healthcare in London, the high-tech industry in Denmark, or housing in Portugal.
However, deterrent campaigns aimed at keeping undesirables at bay are partly funded by European subsidies and migration deals. These funds are sometimes used to push migrants back into the desert but just as often disappear into the pockets of those in power.
The toxic alliance between European power centres and African kleptocrats fuels anger in many countries, particularly among young people, fostering a desire to seek greener pastures elsewhere. Regarding the forces driving migration, read ZAM’s investigation “The Making of African Migration”, published last year.
The radical-right’s campaign is deafening. Don't fall for it.
